Romania to subsidize construction of recycling facilities with EUR 220 million

Romania will spend EUR 220 million in subsidies for the construction of 26 recycling facilities. The aim is to improve the waste management system and meet the national recycling targets.

The Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests approved funding for the construction of approximately 26 recycling facilities. The subsidy package worth EUR 220 million from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP or, in Romanian, PNRR) is envisaged to cover up to 75% of individual investments.

Waste recyclers can receive up to EUR 8.4 million per recycling plant project, Minister of Environment, Water and Forests Mircea Fechet said.

He added Romania generates large amounts of municipal waste while that separate waste collection volumes and recycling rates are low. Out of the six million tons of waste each year, only 12% to 13% is recycled, Fechet stressed.

Over 80% of the waste generated in Romania ends up in landfills

Of note, Romania ranks 26th out of 27 European Union member states in recycling rates.

Over 80% of the waste generated, in the minister’s words, ends up in landfills. He called it a terrible result compared to the EU average of 20%.

The Romanian Government expects the recent introduction of a deposit return system for beverage packaging to improve the situation. The system has been operational since December 2023.

The projects must be implemented by June 30, 2026

According to Fechet, the plan is to collect eight billion drink containers every year, which means recycling facilities will be required. It is crucial to process such resources in Romania and not to allow them to be exported, the minister added. Recycling generates employment and investments, he said.

The selected projects will have to be completed no later than June 30, 2026.

The program was presented at the GreenGlass Recycling factory in the Bucharest suburb of Popeşti-Leorden.